• P. 45 Sustainability Report

"International agreement on fundamental employee rights Siemens reaffirmed its commitment to fundamental employee rights in an international framework agreement signed with employee representatives and trade unions in 2012. It includes clauses on the elimination of forced labor, the prohibition of discrimination, the right to equal treatment, the abolition of child labor and the definition of a minimum age for employment, the right tocollective bargaining, and freedom of association."

• Section 2.4 of th International Framework Agreement"

"2.4 Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining  The  right  of  employees  to  form  labour  unions,  join  existing  labour  unions  and  conduct   collective  negotiations,   is  acknowledged.  Members  of  employee  organizations  or  unions   will   be   neither   advantaged   nor   disadvantaged   on   account   of   their   membership    (see  principles  of  ILO  Conventions  87  and  98).  A  constructive  approach  will  be  taken  to   cooperation  with  employees,  em ployee  representatives  and  unions  on  the  basis  of  local   law.  Even  in  contentious  disputes,  the  continuing  objective   will  be   to  maintain  effective   constructive  cooperation  and  to  seek  solutions   with  the  aim  of  balancing  our  commercial   interests and the interest of our employees. If the level of protection granted to employees in a country in which Siemens operates fails  essentially  to  reflect  these  principles,  Siemens  will  nevertheless  apply  these  hi gher  standards to its employees. Employee representatives  must be protected against any form of prejudicial treatment."